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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

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Developing a Vanadium(IV) Complex for Targeted Inhibition of Growth and Metastasis of Tumors by Multiacting on Cancer

Lijuan Gao1, Guochao Li1, Gang Xu1

  • 1Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources (Ministry of Education of China), Guangxi Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, University Engineering Research Center for Chemistry of Characteristic Medicinal Resources (Guangxi), School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi 541004, China.

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
|January 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

A novel vanadium complex (V5) shows superior anti-cancer activity compared to platinum drugs. Its nanoparticle formulation (AFt-V5 NPs) effectively inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by targeting cancer cells and activating the immune system.

Area of Science:

  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Nanotechnology
  • Cancer Biology

Background:

  • Platinum-based drugs face limitations in targeting tumor growth and metastasis.
  • Thiosemicarbazone complexes offer a potential alternative for cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a novel vanadium (V) complex (V5) as a potential anti-cancer agent.
  • To create a nanoparticle (NP) delivery system (AFt-V5 NPs) for enhanced tumor targeting and reduced side effects.

Main Methods:

  • Structure-activity relationship studies of vanadium thiosemicarbazone complexes.
  • Cytotoxicity assays (IC50) on SK-OV-3 cells.
  • In vivo studies to assess tumor growth and metastasis inhibition.
  • Mechanism of action studies including mitochondrial damage, apoptosis, ferroptosis, glucose metabolism, and immune system activation.

Main Results:

  • V5 exhibited significant cytotoxicity (IC50 = 1.25 ± 0.41 μM) against SK-OV-3 cells, outperforming previously synthesized platinum complexes.
  • AFt-V5 NPs demonstrated enhanced tumor growth inhibition (63.6%) and metastasis suppression compared to V5 alone (49.3%).
  • The mechanism involves multi-pronged cancer cell attack and dual immune system activation.

Conclusions:

  • V5 and its nanoparticle formulation AFt-V5 NPs represent promising anti-cancer agents.
  • AFt NPs improve V5's tumor-targeting efficacy and mitigate side effects.
  • The therapeutic effect is attributed to comprehensive cancer cell damage and immune system modulation.

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